Fermentation tips?

Gravity readings will help you know when fermentation is complete. After that I like to leave it for a week or two to clean up, kind of a taste as I go kinda thing with that part.

 

I like to leave the beer to sit in the carboy for at least a week after fermentation is done, and two weeks is even better. But nobody does that with their first beer. What that first batch, you bottle it up as soon as fermentation is done and drink it was soon as it's carbonated. What will happen is that you'll notice that the beer changes and improves over the first few weeks. That's why most experienced brewers like to let it cold condition for a little while. But if you're like most beginners, you can't wait to try what you've brewed, and there's nothing wrong with that, other than you'll wind up drinking some of the beer before it peaks.

Be sure to do a couple gravity readings to make sure fermentation is done. Once you're sure, full speed ahead.

 

Good advice above.

Here's the challenge: once bottled, take three bottles and label them - - do not drink before six months, eight months, ten months, from the date you bottled them. Slobber really improves with age (in the bottle). After it is carbed, ideally store at 60'ish and wait. You'll want to drink it in a month, but it will continue to improve if you can keep your hands off of it. Start another brew, buy some craft beer, mooch off your friends ... anything but drink your Slobber too early.

 

How long you let your beer sit in the primary is really dependent on what type of yeast you chose to use and your pitch rate. For a regular ale yeast 2-3 weeks is generally a good rule. I wouldn't worry about trying to do anything fancy for your first fermentation. Temp control is more important than giving the yeast an extra 1-2 weeks. If you control the temp of your fermentation well, the chances are you won't need the extra time for the yeast to clean up the beer.